


Son of a Bitch

by girlwhowasntthere



Category: Atlantis (UK TV)
Genre: Five Ways, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-16
Updated: 2014-12-16
Packaged: 2018-03-01 18:02:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2782457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/girlwhowasntthere/pseuds/girlwhowasntthere
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(aka: Five Ways Jason Learned that Pasiphae is his Mother)</p>
<p>This started out with me goofing around a bit much with tumblr tags.  Aislin poked me and told me to just write it, so this is her fault.  </p>
<p>These are all separate little stories, not chapters.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Son of a Bitch

\-----ONE-----

It starts when he signs up for the Coronation Games and Hercules calls him a "stupid son of a bitch" and throws things.  Jason supposes he deserves it.  But "people die doing that" is tossed around so frequently it really means nothing to him at this point. 

The next time he calls Jason that, Pythagoras snickers like he's said something amusing.  Whatever.  He's winning the damn competition and getting his silly leaf crown thing, and so there.  Although in his defense, he legitimately thought the prize was a bag of gold... and the eternal shame of Telemon.  But hey, a leaf crown for the city's champion.  That's fucking great too.  Awesome. 

And when Pythagoras is applying a poultice to his side in the aftermath and all Hercules has to say is complain how he "warned the stubborn son of bitch this would happen," Jason merely glowers.

Then when they're escorting Telemon and Ariadne to Aegina, and arrows start to rain down on them, there are shouts of "get behind the rocks" and "what about the Queen?"  And as Jason grabs Ariadne's hand, he hears Hercules yell at Pythagoras that "she's safe as long as she's behind that son of a bitch" and if only they were so lucky.  And Jason knows he's upset them lately, but come on, suggesting using him as a human shield is a bit harsh.

Later, when Ariadne asks him to hand her a weapon and he selects the bow, it's Pythagoras who does it.  "SON OF A BITCH!" he hisses, because that's his chosen weapon and Jason knows it.  But what's shocking is when Hercules responds with "Now who can't keep a secret?"  And he's going to ask them what the hell is going on, but then he's being smacked in the side with a shield and it reopens his spear wound.

And things progress much the same until Pasiphae attacks and his friends simultaneously both call her a "bitch."  And when she deliberately misses an opportunity to kill him...  Well, then it all starts to make sense.

 

\-----TWO-----

 

"You mustn't do this!" Pasiphae shouts from her cage.  "I'M YOUR MOTHER!"

Hercules and Pythagoras both turn to Jason in unison.  "The Oracle made us swear not to tell you," Hercules blurts.

"But we wanted to tell you," Pythagoras rushes to add.  "Obviously we wanted to!  You've royal blood and can marry whomever you choose, but you see we couldn't say anything because she said you weren't to know or you'd...  Are you feeling alright?  You're not angry?"

"Your heart isn't homicidally blackening or anything?"  Hercules stares at him with suspicion.

"Wait, what?" Jason asks.

Pasiphae sighs dramatically.  "I was speaking to Ariadne."

Now they both look to Ariadne who's standing behind Jason with a startled look on her face. 

"Ah, right, she's Pasiphae's step-daughter," Pythagoras muses.

"That she is," Hercules says, nodding.  Then he returns his gaze to Jason.  "Never mind."

 

\-----THREE-----

 

"You can't keep doing this," Jason says to a very drunk Hercules as he and Pythagoras drag him home.  "You just have to accept that you and Medusa aren't meant to be together."

"So says you," Hercules complains, then adds in a rather whiny voice, "Take the Palladium and go, I'd rather slowly bleed to death in agony than fail Ariadne."

"That's not fair," Jason protests.

"Although that was a remarkably accurate impersonation," Pythagoras comments.  Jason leans around to glare at him, and his friend pointedly ignores him.  "All I'm saying is I wish neither of you were quite so willing to die for your loves."

"Well, at least my love isn't my sister," Hercules says.

Jason furrows his brow in confusion.  "What?"

Pythagoras laughs awkwardly.  "She's not his--"  He coughs.  "You're drunk."

"She is so," Hercules slurs.  "The King never divorced Pasiphae, only banished her.  The Queen bloody well is--"

"Oh gods," Pythagoras gasps, and he releases his hold on Hercules so suddenly it causes Jason to lose his own grip and drop him as well.  He ends up with his face planted in the street. 

Jason stares at Pythagoras in shock.  

He looks down at Hercules and cringes, then back up at Jason.  "It's an expression," he explains hurriedly.  "'The woman I love is a terrible choice, but at least she's not my step-sister.'  I think it's from a play."

"Pythagoras..."

"By the bard Homer, I believe."

"Pythagoras!" Jason tries again.  "You just said _step_ -sister."

"Did I?" he asks much too innocently.  Then his fake smile falters and he sighs.  "Yes, I suppose I did.  Help me get Hercules inside.  We need to talk." 

 

\-----FOUR-----

 

They're surrounded by Colcheans, and Jason and Hercules are doing their best to keep Ariadne safe between them (although honestly she'd taken out more men than both of them combined before she'd run out of arrows).  But all she has now is an empty quiver, and Hercules is clearly tiring, and Jason is starting to pray for a miracle.

Then Pasiphae steps forward, and she has a dagger to Pythagoras' throat, and all Jason's hope of escaping this unscathed disappears.  "I'm sorry," Pythagoras says, then winces as Pasiphae tightens her hold.  Jason wonders what he's apologizing for.  For not being their miracle, or...

"Hand over Ariadne," Pasiphae instructs.  "There's already been enough bloodshed, don't you think?"

Or Pythagoras knows they can't do that.  They'll never give up the Queen, not even for him.  And now it's Jason who's sorry, he's so very sorry.  He'd offer his own life in exchange, but he can't offer hers.  He _can't_. 

In his peripheral vision, he sees Hercules reach for Ariadne, and for one terrible moment, he thinks his friend is going to do it.  For one terrible moment, Jason wants him to.  But Hercules merely pushes her back, and Jason realizes she'd taken a step forward.  He'd not seen her do it, his eyes are only for Pythagoras.  If Pasiphae takes his life, Jason at least owes it to him to not look away.  So he'd missed Ariadne almost give herself up, like she knows Hercules and Jason would give anything for her, even their own lives, but not this.  Not him.

"Let him go!" Hercules bellows.  "Or you'll regret it."

Pasiphae laughs.  "You're in no position to bargain."

Suddenly, Hercules moves more swiftly than Jason has ever seen.  He grabs Jason's arm and wrenches it painfully, causing him to drop his sword, then forces the limb behind Jason's back.  Hercules' sword comes up and presses to Jason's throat.  He gasps, and blood trickles down his neck onto his chest.  Has Hercules lost his mind?!  Because how the fuck is this plan supposed to work? 

"Ask anyone whose life I value more," Hercules snarls.  "They'll tell you Pythagoras."

Pasiphae looks as shocked as Jason is certain he must.  Pythagoras actually appears almost touched at Hercules' words, and also... sad?

When nobody moves, Hercules twists Jason's arm until he cries out.  What the hell!  How is threatening to break his arm going to convince Pasiphae to let them go? 

"Hercules, don't!" Pythagoras pleads, and he's actually able to, because the knife is several inches away from his throat now, held in a trembling hand.  It's Jason whose neck is in danger if he tries to talk.

"Release him," Hercules repeats, "or I'll bleed your son!"

WHAT?!

That's not... no... there's no way.  This is the most ridiculous bluff ever.  Pasiphae is never going believe that he's actually--

He's shoved roughly down onto his knees, and his arm is dropped in favor of the hand fisting into his hair and yanking his head back to bare as much of his throat as possible.  Jason tries not to even breathe.  Pasiphae drops her blade, and Ariadne picks up Jason's.  Shit.

Ariadne is looking at him like she doesn't even know him, like he's stabbed her heart with the very sword she's currently pointing at him.  Yeah, if she thinks she feels betrayed, well, he knows the feeling pretty well himself.

Is any of this a lie?  He's truly Pasiphae's son.  And Hercules really would...

"Go."

Pythagoras stumbles over to them, and the soldiers lower their weapons, and Jason has to be pulled back up onto his feet by his friends because he can't move.  Then they bind his hands behind his back and force him to walk on numb legs.  Are they his friends?  He's their hostage, and none of this feels like a ruse anymore.

The Oracle had warned him to tell no one the truth, that he's surrounded by enemies...  Well...  Yeah, fuck her.  If he makes it back to Atlantis without Hercules slitting his throat, he's going to tell her exactly where she can shove her cryptic prophecies and her damn chicken.

"Jason," Pythagoras asks gently, "are you alright?"

They've stopped walking, and he doesn't know if it's been minutes or miles.  He shakes his head.  "No."

 

\-----FIVE-----

 

[Five](http://archiveofourown.org/works/2782520) actually went really dark, so I'm posting it as a completely separate thing with warnings. 

(or as Aislin said: THIS IS NOT “DARK”  
THIS IS NOT EVEN APOCALYPSE  
THIS IS LIKE GAME OF THRONES LEVEL OF HORROR SHIT)


End file.
